Whole-genome selective sweep analyses identifies the region and candidate gene associated with white earlobe color in Mediterranean chickens.

ABSTRACT: We compared the genomes of multiple domestic chicken breeds with red and white earlobes to identify the differentiated regions between groups of breeds differing in earlobe color. This was done using a selective sweep mapping approach based on whole-genome sequence data. The most significant selective sweep was identified on chromosome 11, where the white earlobe chicken breeds originated from Mediterranean share a common haplotype, and where multiple candidate genes are located. The most plausible functional candidate gene is the Melanocortin 1 Receptor (MC1R), a receptor known to regulate pigmentation in the skin and hair, and it is also the gene with the strongest positional support from the haplotype-based analyses. It, however, still needs to be explored experimentally to identify eff

SUBMITTER: Guo Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10692716 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature